Customized jewelry box packaging and other high-end gift box packaging, color is a key focus. Because each brand has its own strict color management. Here is a concise introduction to how to start color management from design based on our over 20 years of experience.
If the materials we use for packaging are self drawn, we should set the CMYK mode when creating the canvas. If the materials are found online, we should adjust the mode to CMYK format and then import them into AI software, mainly RGB printing, which may have significant color differences. Currently, printing machines are matched with CMYK mode!
CMYK color mode: The color mode used for printing is CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) instead of the commonly used RGB (red, green, and blue) mode on electronic devices. CMYK mode can more accurately represent the color of printed materials because it is suitable for reflecting light rather than emitting light. The reasons for using CMYK mode in printing include its wide color range, higher contrast, stronger color expression, and higher stability during the printing process.
CMYK mode is a color mode used for printing, based on the principle of subtraction! Perform color mixing. In CMYK mode, colors are generated by mixing four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. This mode is suitable for media that require external light reflection, such as paper, fabric, etc.
The RGB color mode is a color standard in the industrial sector, which obtains various colors by changing and superimposing the three color channels of red (R), green (G), and blue (8). RGB represents the candidate colors of the three channels of red, green, and blue, and this standard almost encompasses all colors that human vision can perceive.
If it is necessary to import materials into AI software, the commonly used formats are PNG and TIFF. These two formats can maintain file quality without damaging the file, and importing them into AI has a transparent background effect, which is convenient for later typesetting. In addition, the reasons for choosing TIFF format for printing materials mainly include its high-quality image saving ability, platform independence, support for multiple image modes, and wide application in the field of professional image processing.
Advantages of PNG: Lossless compression: PNG supports lossless compression, which means that the image quality will not be lost when compressing the image, making it suitable for situations where the original image quality needs to be maintained. Advantages of TIFF: Lossless Compression: Unlike lossy compression formats such as JPEG, TIFF supports lossless compression, ensuring the integrity of image quality, making it very suitable for situations that require high-quality images.
PNG format: PNG is a lossless compressed image format that supports transparency, making it particularly popular in web design. In addition, the PNG format supports multiple color depths and transparency levels, making it suitable for various image types.
TIFF format: TIFF is also a medical image format that can handle multiple color modes and depths, including grayscale, RGB, and CMYK. The TIFF format supports both lossless and lossy compression, and due to its high flexibility and quality, it is widely used in the fields of printing and publishing.
The choice of printing resolution mainly depends on the purpose and quality requirements of the printed material. For most printing requirements, a resolution of 300dpi can ensure the clarity and detail representation of printed materials. This standard applies to most printing situations, including commercial printing and publication printing.
A resolution of 300DPI ensures the clarity and detail representation of printed materials. The higher the resolution, the higher the printing accuracy of the printer. In the printing field, a resolution of 300DPI is sufficient to meet most printing needs, as it provides sufficient detail and clarity while maintaining a moderate file size for easy processing and transmission.
Printing resolution refers to the number of pixels per inch, and 300dpf means there are 300 pixels per inch, resulting in very high image quality. Using a resolution of 300dpl ensures that printed materials such as brochures, posters, business cards, etc. have clear details and colors. For example, for four-color printing, including regular magazines, the resolution is set to 250-300PP1.
There is no concept of resolution in vector graphics. No matter how many times the vector image is enlarged, there will be no image distortion, only a change in the magnification factor parameter. This feature makes vector graphics very suitable for applications that require infinite scaling while maintaining clarity.
Embed images in the AI drawing board. In the field of packaging design and printing, it is often necessary to add some existing image elements to the work. At this point, the function of embedding images becomes particularly important. By embedding images, we can ensure that they perfectly integrate with other elements in the drawing board, while avoiding image loss caused by file path changes and other issues. If not embedded, the factory will lose the content of the software file when opening it
Let's delve into how to embed images using shortcut keys. Firstly, open your Adobe Illustrator software and create a new drawing board. Next, find the image you want to embed and copy it to the clipboard. Then, return to the Lustrator software and use the shortcut keys "Ctrl+Shift+P" (Windows) or "Command+Shift+P" (Mac) to open the "Paste" dialog box. In this dialog box, you can choose the method of pasting, such as "paste at the front" or "paste at the back". After selecting the options you need, click "OK" and the image will be embedded into your drawing board.
Embedding images will increase the size of the drawing board file, so if file size is an issue, you may need to consider using linked images instead of embedding. Secondly, the embedded image cannot be edited again, so if you need to modify the image, please complete these operations before embedding. Finally, remember to save your drawing board file after embedding the image to ensure that all changes are saved.
When importing PS images into AI, there may be color differences, mainly due to different color mode settings between the two software. Each software has its own unique color mode, and when two software use different color modes, there will be color differences when opening the same image.
To be based on the printed physical object, no matter which software is used, there will be some differences from printing. Computer knowledge is seen on the monitor, but printing is different. It involves ink materials, printer models, paper materials, and multiple aspects, making it difficult to achieve complete consistency with the monitor!
Color difference caused by different printing materials:
The colors produced by different paper materials are also different. For example, commonly used copperplate paper has a smooth surface, which makes the colors more realistic and has a higher degree of color reproduction during printing. On the other hand, double adhesive paper has a matte surface and no gloss, which can cause some colors to appear darker and result in color difference problems.
Ink concentration: During the printing process, the concentration of ink can affect the reproduction of colors. If the ink concentration is too low, the color may appear lighter.
Printing process: Factors such as pressure and speed during the printing process can also affect the reproduction of colors.
Check resolution: Ensure that the resolution of the design is high enough. Generally, the resolution of printed materials should be set to 300dpi (dots per inch), which is a basic requirement for ensuring the clarity of printed materials. If the resolution of the design is too low, the printed material may appear blurry or unclear.
Just like the photos we take with our phones now, the photos taken with our phones in the past were not clear even when we enlarged the resolution and printed them, because the pixel count of the element graphics themselves was not enough. Forcefully enlarging the image would also lead to unsatisfactory printing results
Check color mode: Ensure that the design is using the correct color mode. For printed materials, the CMYK color mode should be used instead of the RGB color mode. The CMK color mode is more suitable for printing because it can better retain ink colors, while the RGB color mode is more suitable for screen display.
Check font size: If the design includes text, it is necessary to ensure that the font size is large enough. Generally, font sizes smaller than 5 may not be clear during printing. Specifically, if the color of Wenyu is four-color black (i.e. C0, MOY0, K100) and the font size is too small, it may cause ghosting during printing.
Customized jewelry box packaging, perfume box packaging, etc. When packaging these high-end gift boxes, the application of color is the top priority. So, from the beginning of document design, designers need to use normal methods: selecting the correct color mode, file format, resolution, image format, design software, etc. If they choose the wrong one, it can easily make the early design work useless. ITIS customized packaging factory, we have been customizing jewelry box packaging, customized perfume box packaging and other fields for more than 20 years, and we are very clear that customers' knowledge in these areas is insufficient. The above are some color related considerations for designing customized high-end gift boxes that we have summarized. This is a mandatory course for all ITIS employees. Only by understanding this knowledge can we reduce ineffective communication and greatly reduce the workload in the early stages of communication with customers, ensuring smooth progress of every project. At the same time, we will also provide such knowledge points to the majority of families, so that their designers can also design their jewelry box packaging, perfume box packaging can choose the right way and the right tools.
